


With Hair of Fire, He Rescued Me.

by Chuiicha



Series: With Hair Of Fire He Rescued Me [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christmas, Fluff somewhere, I didn't mean for it to start so angsty it just happened, I swear, I took way too long to add more tags, I'll add tags when i know what tags to use I guess, M/M, New Years, Post-breakup, Revel Mode, There actually is fluff, and some art I did cos why not, but in the latter half
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-06 16:14:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 10,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8760088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chuiicha/pseuds/Chuiicha
Summary: As Jack begins to spiral into his emotions, will someone come to save him?After a breakup, Sean refuses to get help, but that doesn't mean the others won't notice the changes.His eyes aren't as bright, his smiles not as wide, his laugh forced. One person in particular sees it all, but does he care for Jack so much that  he would be willing to risk his relationship to save his shattered friend?





	1. It's been awhile, hasn't it?

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo, this is my second fanfic I've ever written. So, I can't guarantee it'll even be remotely good. I hadn't planned for something so angsty, but the words kinda just happened. I do plan for this to be multiple chapters, and I promise, it will get happier. ^^:  
> Funny thing is I wanted to write fluff when I started this.  
> I did my best to get the information on uploads and videos accurate. The one Jack starts with is quoted from his most recent video on Steep.  
> Despite my choppy likely OOC writing, I hope you enjoy~

"And I will see all you dudes... IN THE NEXT VIDEO! ... One of these days I'm gonna high five so hard my headphones are gonna come off" Jack said shaking his head, chuckling lightly before shutting off the camera,"Last video done for the day, I should check Twitter before I start editing, maybe grab a snack." 

Standing up to retrieve a snack from the kitchen, he stretched, taking out his phone and opening the app.  
"Hm, not much. The Last of Us 2 was announced, that's pretty neat." 

Scrolling further down as he opened the cupboard, his friends posts from the past few days began to show up. After grabbing something to munch on as he edited, he began to read the posts as he made his way back to the computer.

"Hm, Felix's been postin' a lot about the new youtube issue... hm, oh yea, Bob and Wade are over in L.A. with Mark. Damn it's been ages since I've played with the three of them. Bob i played Rocket League with awhile back, but... wow it's been since September-ish since I played with Mark...."

He sighed, letting his shoulders fall before straightening himself up. Mark hadn't talked with him for a fair while, probably not since the 13 million mark, though he had mentioned him in videos. He was busy, so it was understandable, so why did Jack feel so deflated about it? 

"Eh, whatever. I'll play with them again eventually. Mark's super busy lately. Sooner or later w-" He froze as he looked down at the screen, feeling his stomach sink as his finger hovered above a picture from the Santa costume, Mark and Amy...  
He shouldn't feel jealous, Mark was his friend, nothing more... right?  
In truth, Jack liked Mark, maybe a little more than just a friendly kind of "like". Strong, kind, caring, and, let's be honest, pretty damn attractive. Everything was manageable before, he had Signe, he could distract himself. 

She was sweet and quite pretty, but he hadn't told anyone- didn't plan to- that they had recently broken up. They'd been living together for about a year, that anniversary had passed recently actually. But, well, Signe had felt that they'd grown distant. With their recent trip with Robin to L.A., Jack had been so busy, which of course was understandable. But even when they were home, Jack had apparently seemed spacey, and interacted less and less with her, gradually as months had been dragging on. Especially once 'Amyplier' had started showing up all over his Twitter feed. So, she felt this had gotten to a certain point, one where it, well, to put it simply, didn't make sense for them to be together much longer, or at least for them to take a break.

Jack hadn't told anyone, it had pretty much just happened. He didn't want to burden any of his friends with this, even though he knew they'd be there for him if he needed it. They were all so busy. _I'll be fine._ he told himself, wiping away at tears that threatened to fall. _Don't be jealous yeh idiot. ___

After a few sniffles were gotten out of the way, he got to editing, convincing himself that he'd feel better in a few days, he just needed rest. 

But rest didn't come so easily. 

Jack lay there, tossing and turning, unable to escape to his dreams, or at least a blank slate of mind. All variety of thoughts swam through his head. 

_"We can't do this anymore Sean, you're too distant... I-I think we need a break at least..." ___

The conversation played on replay in his mind so many times it may as well have been his favorite song. Each time cracking at what little shielding his mind had put up a little further. The images of Mark and Amy appearing again and again, forcing Jack to think of his futile attraction.

_I'd never have a chance with him. He's got Amy, he's always got Amy... Why would he want an annoying irish bastard? Signe didn't want me anymore. No one does I bet... no one talks to me anymore hardly. Robin does, well, he has to... ___

Before he knew it, the sun was peaking through the curtains, slowly bathing his room in a soft warm light. Confused, he picked up his phone to check the time. 5 A.M. Was it really that early already? _Oh well. Maybe today will be better __._


	2. Sleep is for the weak.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleep just never seems to come, but that's fine, cos sleep is for the weak right?  
> However, his efforts to conceal his fatigue don't seem to be working as well as he thought. A certain concerned friend confronts Jack about his tired demeanor in his more recent videos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, I already knew a vague idea of what I wanted for this chapter so I figured I may as well. S'more Jack dealing with issues but Mark finally enters the picture. It kinda just happened as I was writing so I dunno how good it it, but never-the-less, I hope you enjoy. Thank you so much everyone who's left kudos or even simply read it. I hardly expected even one or two, it truly made me so happy to see people like it enough to want more. Also, as I did in the previous chapter, the lines Jack says during recording are quoted verbatim from his video on TABS today.

Slowly managing to drag himself from the comfort of his blankets, Jack made his way to the restroom. He looked up to the mirror only to be greeted by a sad excuse for the ball of energy everyone knew. Cheeks still tear stained, eyes puffed to match the pounding headache that was setting in.

"Well shite, I'm a mess." he scoffed, ashamed of how he'd been handling things, another tear escaping as he did. _Don't be a feckin' baby, dammnit. You're better than this, you have work to do._ And with that thought, he turned on the faucet, doing his best to clean himself up to record.

"Maybe I should play something high energy, something that makes me laugh... TABS seems like a good choice." he thought aloud. After grabbing a quick breakfast snack, he headed to his computer to begin setting up the recording.

"TOP OF THE MORNIN' TO YEH LADDIES, My name is Jacksepticeye and welcome back to TABS! We've a few more levels that we have left to do.... Actually we have a lot more levels left to do. We've eleven levels left to do, including ten."

He was repeating himself, but he'd get back into the groove soon enough he assured himself. And he did. Well, for the most part. The video managed to keep his typical attitude for that kind of game. Silly, a bit ragey, and overall it was almost like one of his usual uploads. Almost.

His focus was starting to slip halfway through. Thoughts from earlier peeking their way in as he tried to commentate about using the same formation as last round.

"I'm gonna do the same thing again, cos y'know what, if it ain't broke, why does it - uh - need a fixin'." He stuttered out. "Am I gettin' sick?... Oh  god I think I'm gettin' sick." Staring at the camera and back to the screen with widened eyes. Part of it was just an excuse for his poor wording, but in all honesty, he wasn't feeling too well. Maybe the stress was making him sick.

Still, he managed his way past the thoughts building in his mind for now, keeping up his energy best he could for the rest of the video. Though, it  wouldn't escape the fans or his friends, especially one certain faux red-head, that Jack's eyes had lost their luster and how his eyes sported dark circles and ever so slightly puffy tear bags. They'd ask in the comments later, but he'd just tell them he'd been up playing overwatch or something, they wouldn't question it, right?

"But anyways, THANK YOU GUYS, so much for watching this video, If you LIKED it, PUNCH that like button IN THE FACE, LIKE A BOSS, and, high five's all round, wapsh, wapsh, but thank you guys and I will see all you duded, IN THE NEXT VIDEO!" Putting his arms down he burped, "That was a burp, hope yeh liked it." he said, giving the camera a thumbs up with a smile. After a second or two he let his face fall flat, dropping his hands to his lap with a sigh.

_That wasn't... too bad._

He coughed. _Damn it, I must be gettin' sick. Just another great thing to add to this feckin' headache._  Sighing, he picked up his phone, opening up twitter after a moment of hesitation. 

Nothing much. Even Mark's tweets had been pretty minimal. Then again, it was probably super late in California... Either way, it's probably for the better. 

 

Finally, both videos for the day were done and he'd even managed in some editing himself before sending Robin the rest. Speaking of rest, in a different sense, it was getting late so Jack figured he may as well try to get some. Flopping down on the mattress, he sighed. He was exhausted. If sleep is for the weak then he felt he'd rather take that title than another restless night. And slowly but surely, he drifted off, hoping for blank blissful sleep.

 _You're so pathetic. Lettin' this get to you? Y'know that right?_  
_Sean, you're so distant. We need a break._  
 _When are you going to collab with Mark again? He doesn't respond anymore._  
 _I bet you were too distant to him too, just like Signe._  
 _IDIOT_

He nearly jumped out of bed, bolting upright with heavy breaths as tears streamed down his cheeks. Curling his knees up to his chest he rested his face on them, trying to slow his shuddered breathing and clear his head. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his phone, reaching for it he brought it up to his face. 1 A.M. He had a feeling it was going to be a sleepless night once more. _Whatever, sleep is for the weak anyway..._

Queuing up the videos for the next day, he lay back down, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, until he heard the familiar "ding" of a text notification. Slowly reaching down for his phone, he held it up and his heart may as well have stopped right there.

**Markimoo: Hey Jack, it's been awhile since we've talked so I wanted to check up on ya. How've you been?**

Shaking his head in attempt to clear it, Jack warily unlocked his phone to respond. _Keep it together._

**Jackaboy: Heya Mark, I'm doin' fine. How 'bout you?**

**Markimoo: That's good to hear. I'm doing good. I was a bit worried about you to be honest. You seem really tired lately and all.**

**Jackaboy: Hah, me? Tired? Sleep is for the weak!**

He chuckled weakly. _Guess I haven't hidden it too well have I?_

**Markimoo: If you say so. Anyways, I've gotta go shoot some stuff before it gets late, so I'll talk to ya later.**

**Jackaboy: Oh, yea, okay. Talk to yeh later Mark.**

**Markimoo: Oh and Jack, if ya ever feel more than tired, you know we're here to help right?**

He cringed at the thought, he knew alright, but he didn't want to burden them. They've got more things to worry about.

**Jackaboy: Yea I know yeh silly. Now shoo, daylight's a-wastin'.**

**Markimoo: Yup, Bye Jack.**

Well, he'd gotten one of his wishes answered. Some contact with Mark. Proving his nightmare even a small bit wrong, it was a triumph. His head still pounded, and his eyelids felt heavy with the weight of being awake, yet somehow, he felt better. Things weren't great, but life had given him a short break. Time to go face the day, record some videos, and hope that life had let up for the day.


	3. Are you sure you're okay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Same day to day life, but Jack's facade is fading. Keeping lively isn't so easy when you see the other side of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya. I would've written this chapter yesterday, but school stuff took priority and I couldn't quite think of what to write. I still dunno how I feel about this chapter. I understand it seems a bit repetitive, but thats part of what I wanna get across. If you want me to elaborate further I can. The Subnautica line is from his most recent video on it. Anyway, regardless, I hope you enjoy. Sorry also this chapter is a bit shorter. I didn't want to drag it out too much more.

Another day, another recording. He had two high energy recordings planned. After all, if his mood was up, he figured he may as well. Maybe some more Subnautica, something crazy like Dead Rising. Taking what Mark said to heart, he knew he'd have to do something about his tired appearance, and soon. Whether that be sleeping pills or an excuse, he didn't know.

"Ooo it feels good to be back in Subnautica! Yeah!" Reaching forward to turn off the camera, he smiled. 

_Today hasn't been so bad, maybe I'm finally gonna get a bre-_

A coughing fit harshly interrupting his train of thought, he sighed. The stress and lack of sleep must be getting to him, slowly but surely. He'd manage through it... he had to. This weekend was the Revelmode charity stream, which he'd all but forgotten til this morning. Mark would be there... No wonder Mark had texted him. They'd all be together soon so why not break the ice?

_Hah, you really thought he was worried about yeh. I mean yea he mentioned it but it wasn't his main point, how dense are you Jack?_

No, he couldn't let these negative thoughts get to him again, he was just feeling better for gods sake. Doing his best to hold on to these thoughts, he made his way to the computer. Upon sitting down, he caught a glimpse of his reflection on the monitor before the screen started up. He certainly didn't look much better, fatigue having taken a toll on his features. He shook it off, focusing his attention back to the task at hand. 

Yet it seemed life had decided his break time was over. As soon as he opened up the footage to go over before sending it to Robin, his phone chimed.

_Twitter highlights notification, can't be that bad right?_ He assured himself as he launched the app, believing it would merely be a momentary distraction. After a bit of aimless scrolling through random notifications he nearly put his phone back down when something caught his eye. A post from "Wiishu"... He hadn't unfollowed Signe, hadn't spent enough time on Twitter to remember. It was a picture of her, with a camera emoji. She looked perfectly happy, no evidence of any afflictions or sleep deprivation affecting her.

Jack was suffering alone. He froze, letting this sink in, until, that is, his phone chimed again.

**Markimoo: Hey Jack, just checking up, are you feeling okay? Just wondering cuz you seemed to be getting sick in one of your recent vids.**

Why did Mark keep asking him if he was okay? There's no way he could know anything...   
 _I must be doin' a shit job of seeming lively and focused._  
At least he had an excuse, he could just play it off as a cold since he seemed to be getting one anyway.

**Jackaboy: Yea, I'm fine. Just a cold.**

**Markimoo: That sucks man, you think you'll be up for the livestream this weeken** **d?**

**Jackab** **oy: Totally, I'll just make s** **ure to rest plenty.**

As _if_ that was even possible.

Typing... Typing... Stop. Typing... What was taking Mark so long?

**Markimoo: Alright, hope you feel better soon dude. I gotta go, sorry**. **Amy wants to go do something.**

**Jackaboy: Will do, it's fine. See yeh later Mark.**

_Of course, Amy takes priority... She is his girlfriend after all. That seemed strangely sudden though... I wonder what all that typin' was._

Oh well, maybe he'd never know. What he did know however, was that it was getting late. He should at least make an attempt at his claims to Mark, though he knew that wouldn't be possible. 

What he didn't know was the man on the other side of the phone hadn't left entirely of his own will. But that's a story for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a slight idea for a shorter story of this from Mark's view, so that you can see whats happening on his end, though that last line WILL be explained later, I promise. Maybe after this fic ends or during idk. Please lemme know if that interests you at all, though I'm more OOC writing as him I feel. Also, yes, things will start picking up more as the stream comes up, there'll probably be at least one more chapter before the stream chapter. I'm going to wait until the actual stream (day 1) to write it, so things can be more accurate.


	4. Against his will.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over in America, one friend in particular is worried about Jack. A little in denial admittedly, yet still concerned. Someone seems intent on convincing Mark he's simply being a worrywart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the scattered chapters from Mark's view. Y'all seemed interested and I also felt this is pretty crucial to know before the stream the more I thought about it. I apologize in advance. I've made a certain someone a bit of a b-tch, it'll help the story progress later on, if not it would be a huge struggle getting anything moving. This chapter is a bit shorter since it's mainly for notable points within the timeline of the past 2 chapters. Plus, this chapter has more actual dialogue and no written texting since it would repeat. I hope you enjoy regardless. Also, the sleeping in thing happened like the day Jack posted the Ch2 TABS so time is a tad off (Twitter proven.)

Something seemed off about Jack lately. When Mark had free time after all the new skits he'd been working on, he tried his best to watch a few of his friends videos. Something strange he'd noticed was a similar trend showing in Jack's videos recently. Each video, despite being upbeat as usual, seemed to show his friend looking more and more tired as the days went on. It had started sometime earlier this week. 

Honestly it was worrying Mark, he hadn't spoken with Jack in forever, but he felt compelled to ask if he was doing okay. Just a friendly gesture... mostly. He may or may not have had feelings for h- well, maybe "in denial of said feelings" is a better phrase. Regardless, once he had a minute to spare between recordings, he decided he ought try to message Jack.

_It's just a friendly gesture, worried for a friend is all. I'm with Amy anyways... so... this won't sound weird right?_ He thought to himself as he wrote his response, relieved to hear Jack was doing good. His doubts weren't fully lifted, but it was a start. Something still felt off, but he'd have to push it to the side for now, someone was calling him.

"Mark! We should get some recording done before it gets too late!"   
"Coming! One sec!"

He felt a tad guilty cutting off his conversation so short as he explained he had to go record. They had talked for so short a time, but he knew Tyler was right, they had a lot planned and he had slept in. Setting down his phone, he stood up to see a familiar head of blonde hair. 

"Hey babe, who were ya talking to?"  
"Just Jack, he said he's fine, but I'm a bit worried about him."  
"Oh silly, I'm sure he's fine, c'mon you have stuff to record."

 

The fatigue in Jack's eyes hadn't gone away, he even said he might getting sick. With the Revel Mode stream coming up this weekend,  Mark was especially worried. Just worried about if he'd be fine for the stream, that's what friends do, he's just being normally caring as he would for any other friend, at least, that's what he's telling himself. He had to check on Jack again, especially after such an abrupt end to their previous conversation, Hopefully he just had a cold or something, though it seemed to be more. 

"Who ya texting this time Mark? Jack again?"  
"Yea... I'm just really worried, cuz, yknow the stream and all."  
"You're over-thinking it, calm down Mark. Yknow what, let's go do something? Let's go out to eat."  
"But... I cut off our conversation short last time, I d-"  
"Really Mark? You guys hardly talk anyway anymore."

_He says he just has a cold, I hope he feels better, how do I say this without being weird?_

Typing and half retyping his message, he was unsure what to say, what was too much and what sounded cold? _Ugh, why does it matter?_

"Mark! Are you even listening to me? Come on, tell Jack goodbye and lets go out, you need to get your mind off of this."  
"...Alright, just, one sec. Okay, Amy?"  
"Mhm, I'll be waiting for you by the door."

_Cut short again, danggit. I feel like a sack of shit for doing this._

Deleting the entirety of his message, he replaced it with a short farewell. He didn't really want to go out, but maybe Amy was right, maybe he's worrying too much.

Over in Ireland sat Jack, alone. Only one of two people who knew of his situation, or so he thought. Himself in tears and Signe in contentment, that was all, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter's ominous end has been revealed, but I added another ^^; It's because I know what I want to put next. I apologize again for making Amy a bit b-tchy, but I needed to for future chapters to flow. You'll understand soon if you don't yet. I'm sure in real life she's quite sweet. Also, I won't be doing Mark chapters too often, but the whole in denial thing is simply how I felt most comfortable writing him for this particular story. Thank you again to anyone who has left kudos or commentated or even read. It means so much to me.


	5. Sweet dreams.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Revelmode stream is over, eight hours of fun. Jack has had a blast, but will his dismissive cover be blown?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo. I'm sorry this is a bit late. Not only did I spend half the day watching the stream, but I had a little personal issue that forced me to spend extra time focusing my thoughts. This story is finally gonna start to get a bit happier, though I do have one (maybe two) slightly frustrating things planned for the future. We're back to Jack's POV but the next chapter might be Mark since I kinda wanna show his position in this situation. I couldn't watch yesterday's stream (school) and I can't watch back today's for direct quotes so the description of the stream is pretty general. But, never the less, I hope you enjoy.

The streams had gone great, being with friends helped pull Jack away from any negative thoughts plaguing him this past week. He was running on virtually no sleep, yet through all those hours spent with the others, he managed to smile freely, making jokes and dancing silly the entire time. There were a few times his focus was distracted, but it was for silly things, like Mark calling him "Sean" instead of Jack. By the end of it, they had raised 1.3 million dollars. As they took a small resting break before cleaning and heading out due to the surströmming smell that had encompassed the room, Jack took the time to recount some of the moments of the stream. 

They'd done so many games, ranging from cooking battles to making Edgar a dog house. Each one had been so vibrant and lively, it's no question that his mood had been brought up significantly by being with his friends. They'd had video calls with Luzu, Dodger and Jelly. Luzu had even tried sushi for the first time. _Heh, I still can't believe Mark actually caught that sushi I threw in his mouth_. People sent donations and requests throughout, hugging Mark, a handstand with Mark, a dance with Mark, lord did the fans love making them do random shite. So many other things stood out, but he couldn't help think of the moments with Mark. Especially when he had addressed him as "Sean". _No one calls me that usually, no one except..._ He was luckily dragged from that thought to see Mark walking up. 

"Heya Jack, you okay? Ya look tired, that was a crazy day huh?"  
"Yea, heh, definitely. Fun though, it's so crazy that we raised 1.3 million."  
"It's amazing. Oh, I think Felix is calling you. I'll see ya later when it's time to go."  
"Yea he is, see yeh then."

Walking over to Felix, he yawned. By Jesus he was tired. _Maybe I'll be able to get some sleep tonight... maybe..._

"Hey bro, ya doing alright? You were really close to puking."  
"Yea, my stomach settled finally."  
"Mmk, well, we'll be headed back in a little while, we could all use some sleep after this."  
"Yup, just lemme know when so I can say bye to Emma and PJ."

 

After saying goodbye to the others, Jack climbed into the back of the car to wait for Felix and Mark. To avoid them having to go through the hassle of a hotel, Felix had offered the two to stay at his place since the other two already lived in Brighton. Felix was first to arrive, taking his place at the drivers seat. Mark wasn't far behind.

The first few moments of the ride were fairly silent, that is, until Felix decided to turn on the radio. While he was busy focused on that and the road, Jack felt Mark tap his shoulder and begin speaking in a soft voice so that the driver wouldn't be able to hear.

"Um, hey Jack, I... I heard what happened."   
"What do you mean?" he responded, turning to Mark in confusion.   
"With you and Signe... is this why you haven't been sleeping lately."

_Oh god, no, I haven't told anyone, how does he know?_

"W-what, but, how? I-I..."  
"Oh god Jack I'm sorry. You're crying. I knew she couldn't be right when she said it'd been fine on both ends."  
  
Bringing his hand to his cheek Jack could feel the tears he had no idea had started to flow. 

"Who... what do you mean fine on both ends?"  
"Amy told me, she heard from Signe, said it was mutual, Amy said Signe seemed perfectly fine and assumed you were too."  
"Of course she's fine" he managed to stutter out through the building tears, "she's the one who wanted to... she's fucking living in perfect happiness and I've been over here a fucking mess."

Looking down, he buried his face in his hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder as Mark pulled him into a hug.

"It's okay, we're here for you. Why didn't you tell any of us? You know we'd be there to support you."  
"You're all so busy, I couldn't bother you with that"

He let his hands drop as he allowed himself to sink into the hug, it was so warm, comforting. It almost made him feel drowsy.

"It wouldn't be a bother to us, next time let us know."  
"God, I'm such a fucking idiot."

Choking back further tears, he felt Mark hold him closer.

"Shh, no you're not, take deep breaths okay? Your breathing is getting way too fast."

He did as Mark said, slowly breathing in shakily. His eyelids heavy as lead, he felt himself slipping away into the warmth of the hug. He could feel his eyes threatening to shut on him, and though he struggled, he was fighting a losing battle. As his breathing slowed to a mostly normal level, he let his eyes shut.  
  
"Everything okay back there? You guys are pretty quiet."  
"Yea, we're fine Felix, just tired."

And that was the last thing Jack heard before he gave in and fell asleep.

 

Feeling someone gently shaking his shoulders, he was taken from dreamland. He looked up to see Mark.  _He's so close. Have I been sleeping on him?_

"We're here Jack."  
"Oh, yea... Thanks, by the way, Mark."  
"What for?"   
"I don't think I've slept even that much this entire past week. So, well, thank you for that. Sorry I fell asleep on you..."  
"Oh, it's fine. Don't worry, you've got friends here so you can sleep easy tonight." 

He paused their walk to put his hand on Jack's shoulder reassuringly with a small nod. And with that, the three of them went inside Felix's apartment, all tired and ready for bed. 

And Mark was right, Jack did sleep easy that night, for the first time since the breakup, he was safe from his own thoughts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will likely be Mark's POV, simply because I reeeally want to capture the whole talk with Amy and the car scene from his view. Also, this story is at 209 hits and 32 kudos, thats frikin amazing! Thank you so much to anyone who's read or given a kudos, it means so much to me. I hope you all continue to like the story~


	6. Don't cry.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did Mark find out about the breakup? Let's see what happened on his end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, so this is essentially the last chapter from Mark's view, I needed this chapter for some story stuff with Amy. Once again I'm sure she's lovely in real life I just needed her like this for the story. Heads Up, a fair bit of this is a bit repetitive from the last chapter, but I felt like its a nice view of it I dunno. ALSO, I must note here, Ch5/6, in reality, Amy went to London with Mark, but for the sake of the whole car Felix house thing, I chose to keep her in 'murica. Anyways, I hope y'all like seeing this from Markymark's POV.

He'd never been in England before, another thing to check off his bucket list. He also hadn't had the chance to chat with Felix or Jack very much for quite some time, so being able to hang out with them in person again felt amazing. What he hadn't really noticed was that lately, he'd really been confined to playing with the people in his close vicinity... it sucked really. But that doesn't matter now, they'd just had an amazing stream, 1.3 million dollars raised.

Clean up and a break were going on and he had noticed Jack sitting alone and looking a bit down and decided to ask if he was okay. He had claimed he was, but honestly, Mark was still skeptical. He'd been in the middle of texting Amy when he'd noticed Jack and was startled from his thoughts by a buzz from his phone. 

**Peebles: Hey Mark? You still there?**

**Mark: Yea, sorry, I was just talking to Jack, he seemed a bit down.**

**Peebles: Ugh, again Mark? He's fine, he just had a breakup recently is all, it's normal to be a bit down when that happens.**

**Mark: Wait what?! He broke up with Signe? Why didn't you tell me this before, it's no wonder he seems so sad**

**Peebles: I just found out yeesh, he's obviously fine, in the stream today he was energetic and obnoxious as always, besides,** **Signe said it was mutual and there was no argument. He probably just has jet lag.**

**Mark: Jack and Signe have been together since pretty much all his youtube career, this is a big deal Amy.**

**Peebles: It obviously isn't THAT bad if he hasn't reached out to any of you, cut the septiplier bullshit or whatever,**

**Mark: This isn't for the fans Amy, I'm concerned for my friend, it's what real friends do**

**Peebles: You've barely talked to him these past few months I don't call that a true friend,** **Anyways, I'm going now Mark, you're probably just tired and cranky, I'll talk to you tomorrow babe**

"UGH!" he groaned audibly. _It's almost like she feels threatened by Sean for fucks sake_. 

He was torn from his thoughts by Felix's shout "Hey Mark, we're going now!"

"Be there in a bit."

 

By the time he got to the car, Felix had barely gotten in and Jack was already waiting in the backseat where he joined him. _Should I ask...? God I don't want him to be reminded of it if he's fine._ Felix, in a sense, made his choice for him by turning up the radio, giving Mark the perfect opportunity to ask, as long as he kept his voice low. So, he made his move and tapped Jack's shoulder. 

 

 "Um, hey Jack, I... I heard what happened."  
"What do you mean?"    
"With you and Signe... is this why you haven't been sleeping lately."   
 "W-what, but, how? I-I..." 

_Fuck, he's crying what do I do? God he looks so sad_ Jack seemed so devastated. Amy had said it was mutual, but in reality it seems like the man crying before him hadn't had much of a choice, he was left there alone. He couldn't bear seeing him crying like that, it hit him harder than it should've, but that wasn't his priority right now. _What do I do... fuck it, he needs a hug or something_

And so he did, grabbing Jack's shoulder he pulled the shaking man into an embrace. Jack's breathing was erratic, he had to calm him down.

 "It wouldn't be a bother to us, next time let us know."  
"God, I'm such a fucking idiot."    
 "Shh, no you're not, take deep breaths okay? Your breathing is getting way too fast."  

He slowly heard Jack's breathing begin to level out, felt his shoulders slump down. _He must be exhausted._ He wouldn't let go, couldn't, his friend needed this comfort, after a whole week of suffering this alone.

"Everything okay back there? You guys are pretty quiet."  
"Yea, we're fine Felix, just tired."  

He was more correct than he'd anticipated, looking down at Jack he saw his eyes shut, sleeping peacefully. He looked so relaxed, calm, and if Mark was being honest, adorable. His hair fell across his eyes, eyes shut tight and lips slightly parted, all evidence that he was definitely passed out. He looked so adorable, Mark almost wanted to kiss his forehead or comb through his hair with his fingers. _Wait, what the fuck Mark, this is your friend here, you have a girlfriend what the shit._ Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he settled with pushing the hair away from Jacks eyes. He wouldn't move away, the risk of waking him up was too high, he obviously needed this sleep, badly. 

They stayed like this for a while, until Felix announced that they had arrived, shaking Jack gently, he relayed to him that they'd arrived. Jack apologized for falling asleep and thanked Mark. _I was right, he hasn't slept all week_. Now that he knew, he assured Jack that they were there for him if he needed help. He was leaving early the next morning while Jack would stay here, but he promised to himself, he wouldn't let the same thing happen as before. 

_I need to talk to everyone else more, I will, I don't care what Amy says right now, I can't bear the possibility of ever seeing him cry like that again. And even the others, just in general. I will make time._

He didn't care how gay that might sound, he knew it was the greatest truth he'd admitted to himself in a long while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be back to Jack as usual. Also, as usual, thank you so much to everyone who's read this and/or given kudos or commented, I know I say this like every chapter but legit it makes me so ecstatic to see that people like this story. Hope y'all have an amazing day, sorry this chapter is a tad late btw.


	7. Unfollow.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A promise is made, and worry is relieved. Jack finally does what he should have done ages ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya, sorry this chapter is more spaced than some others. It took me awhile to sit down and finally decide what to write. I was also helping my best friend with an rp of theirs. So, this story from here on out is, for the most part, going to be lightening up, not really any more tears. Also, may I just mention again, thank you so much to everyone reading this, I'm so flattered that you all enjoy it. It makes my day to see your comments truly. So, moving on, we're back to Jackaboy's view, I hope you all enjoy this chapter~

It was early, too early. He picked up his phone, allowing his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness amidst the dim early morning light. After his eyes could finally see again, he checked the time. 4 A.M. it was early, but different this time. Instead of having stayed awake to see such a time, he had actually... slept. He thought back to the events of the previous night. It was a tad embarrassing, given how he'd fallen asleep on Mark, yet it was something he hadn't knew he'd needed. Keeping the truth from his friends had forced him to deal with so much more alone. That comfort Mark had shown him last night, though he knew it couldn't be more than an act of friendly help, made him feel so, well to put it bluntly, loved. An odd choice of word, yet regardless nothing else quite fit. 

Once he had sifted through his thoughts about the day before for a few minutes, he decided he may as well go get something, maybe a glass of water, or even coffee. Stretching, he sat up slowly and swung his legs off the side of the bed. He began to make his way to the kitchen, until he heard the familiar deep voice of his friend break the silence.

"Fuck."

_Classy. Real classy, Mark._  He couldn't help but smile as he shook his head, approaching the source. Looking around the corner of the door frame, Mark came into view. His hair a red floofy mess, eyes focused on his phone, probably towards an app that had caused his sudden outburst.

"G'morning Mark." Upon further examination of Mark's surrounding, a few travel bags could be seen scattered about. "Oh... that's right, you're leaving soon aren't you?" He couldn't help but feel his mood falter at the thought.

"Oh, hey Jack, you're up early. Yea, I leave in an hour or two. I was going to let you know a little while before hand, you needed all the sleep you could get. Speaking of, did you sleep well?"

"Y-yea, it feels kinda weird to be honest. After a whole week to finally get some sleep is crazy."

"That's good, even a ball of energy like you needs sleep." Mark's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he continued speaking. "Hey, don't look so worried, I promise I'll message you even after I'm back home, I won't let it go like I did before, I'm sorry about that."

This flustered Jack, he had no idea he'd let his worry seep into his expression, and hardly wanted to acknowledge it himself that it had been a fear he had. 

"Sorry... I'm not worried, it's both of us who didn't message each other."

"Yea, this time we won't do that again. Promise."

Jack nodded in response. And they continued chatting, catching up and joking around as time flew by. It felt like mere minutes before it was time for Felix to drive Mark to the airport. Their goodbyes were fairly short, yet meaningful. They hugged, and once more promised to each other that they would message more frequently. Sadly, Felix noted that if they wanted to beat traffic to the airport, they'd have to leave soon, and both knew it was true. 

 

After spending an extra day or two in Brighton, Jack was finally packing his things, he'd be heading home soon, Mark had upheld his promise, having messaged him once he'd finally gotten back to California, it was a bit late due to his delayed flight, but he had still remembered. Despite the time difference, they still tried to message fairly frequently the past few days. He kept Jack distracted, away from the negative thoughts that had plagued him the previous week. The world had truly finally given him a bit of a break.

 

The scent of rain and wet pavement lingered in the air. Finally, he was back home, in good ol' Ireland. The weather wasn't too different from that of the UK, but regardless it felt good to be back. Setting down his bags upon reaching home, he stared at the bed contemplatively. _I still have a few videos queued up, may as well relax for a while before getting back to things._ And with that, he flopped onto the bed, rolling onto his back. He retrieved his phone from his pocket, taking a deep breath in before opening Twitter. Scrolling through his notifications, he stalled, taking in the assortment of cringemas fanart and quite a few Christmas related posts from Mark. He had to get this over with. Opening his "Following" tab, he scrolled through until he found her, it took some time, but finally, 'Wiishu' appeared. Without hesitation, he clicked 'Unfollow'. It felt as if a hundred pound weight had been lifted from his chest. 

He sighed, and allowed his eyes to fall shut, listening to the sound of the rainfall outside. _I'll just relax for a little while, then I'll record some things later._

Sleep isn't for the weak, even those who think they can handle anything need it, just like the help of a friend. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have one or two more plot points to get through before I can start pulling this to a close. Also, I don't know if any of you will really care but, I post art on my Twitter ( a lot of jack art tbh) so if yeh ever feel like checking it out OR if you want to message me outside of the comments here, you can find me at @Chuiicha. Anyways, I hope you all have an amazing day, see you next chapter~


	8. Note from the Author

Heyo, so I'm really sorry I haven't uploaded any chapters this past week. I've been off and on sick and had a butt ton of school stuff. BUT, I'm officially on break now, so in the next 3 days I plan to get out at least one chapter. See, I haven't been able to gather enough focus to sit down and spend time on a chapter, nasty headaches ugh. I'm feeling better finally, and have a full two weeks off.   
So yea, either tomorrow or Christmas itself I plan to have at least one chapter up. Also, I was wondering, would any of you be interested in a Christmas oneshot apart from this? If yes, then maybe put some suggestions if you have anything you'd maybe like me to write. I dunno, I wanna do a Christmas related one shot but I have no ideas.   
But yea, sorry I had to do a chapter like this, especially after a week without any other chapters, I just didn't have the time or mental focus, but I promise you, I will do my best to get a chapter out in the next few days.   
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday time, no matter what you celebrate if anything at all.  
That's all for now, see yeh in the next chapter~


	9. Broken promise?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark hasn't responded to any messages, but he's just really busy, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, so I finally got out a real chapter. Yay. Once I sat down the ideas just kinda started flowing. The plot of this story involving Christmas mayyyy stretch past the actual real life date, but it'll happen before new years that's for sure. Also, there's technical dialogue in this chapter which is just a lot of texting so prepare for a "dialogue" heavy ch. I haven't really written much the past week but I hope you all still enjoy this chapter.

It's been awhile since he got back home, Christmas slowly inching its way closer. It'd also been about three days since Mark had last said anything to him, not responding to any of the little messages Jack sent. Deep down, he was worried, but the rest of his mind tried to make sense of it all. _Mark's got the 12 days of Christmas to work on, and in addition to that, he's been sick, so it makes sense... I shouldn't worry._

Even though he could convince himself of that, something else had been tugging at his thoughts throughout the past few days. Amy had been progressively more involved in Mark's videos. It bugged him and he wasn't sure why, was it jealously? Mark had been with Amy for quite a while, so why did it bother him to see her? He tried to dis-spell such thoughts, knowing full well that he had no valid reason to feel irritated at her present, and made attempts to distract himself. However, the thoughts that took that place weren't much more positive. _This is the first Christmas in a long time I'll be spending alone.... without..._ He shook his head fervently, as if the physical motion would wrench him from the thoughts. He sat back in his chair, putting on A Soft Murmur to calm his thoughts. 

He stayed there for a while, until he was snapped from his temporary peace by a text notification. Picking up his phone, he couldn't help but feel momentarily shocked by what he saw. It was a text from Mark. 

**Markimoo: Hey Jack, I'm sorry I haven't been keeping my promise, especially these last few days.**

**Jackaboy: Heya, it's fine man, I know you've been sick and you have the whole 12 days of Christmas thing before you head back to Cincinnati.**

**Markimoo: That's the thing, it wasn't fully because of that.**

_What else could it be?_ Mark was still typing, immediately after the last message, Jack would simply have to wait and see.

**Markimoo: I found out today that Amy's been keeping me from messaging you. The past few days she hardly let me use my phone, because I needed to "focus on the shoot". It turns out, she was clearing your messages whenever they came up. When I finally got my phone back I saw all the things you'd sent.**

**Jackaboy: Oh... wow.**

**Markimoo: Yea, it was almost like she was jealous I was talking to you more often lately. Anyway, I, well, I broke up with her today.**

**Jackaboy: Oh god, Mark are you doing okay?**

He knew all too well the pain of breakup and could only hope Mark wouldn't have to go through anything like that. 

**Markimoo: I'm fine, after all I'm the one who initiated it. I can't be with someone who would keep me from my friends like that. Also, hey jack, I was wondering**

_Wondering what?_ As before, Mark kept typing, leaving Jack to wait, having no point to write back if Mark wasn't finished yet. 

**Markimoo: Since you don't really have anyone there in leprechaun land to spend Christmas with, I was wondering if you'd like to come to Cincinnati to spend it with all of us, me, Bob, Wade, Tyler.**

**Jackaboy: Really? That'd actually be really great honestly.**

**Markimoo: Yea man, we'd all really like you here. Can't leave our lil potato all alone on Christmas.**

**Jackaboy: Potatoist, but yea I should be able to prepare enough videos**

**Markimoo: Okay great, and oh also, don't worry about the ticket, I'll flip half the bill**

**Jackaboy: Mark you don't have to do that**

**Markimoo: Trust me it's the least I can do, now no more complaining about it. It's getting late** **over there and you need to sleep so you can record all those videos, so I'll talk to you tomorrow.**

**Jackaboy: Ugh, fine. Talk to you tomorrow Mark.**

He couldn't  quite describe it, but to put it shortly, he felt relieved. Spending Christmas with friends was a gift in itself. True he'd have to start preparing plenty of footage to queue for the trip, but it was worth it. _Anything is worth spending Christmas with Mark and the others._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may be able to get another chapter up tomorrow, depending. I hope you're all having a wonderful Christmas Eve. or simply a wonderful 24th regardless of what you celebrate, (if anything). I still may do a lil Christmas oneshot today or tomorrow if I get an idea for one or if you guys have any prompts for it. Anyways. Have a great day~


	10. Christmas cheer.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A joyous Christmas, spent with friends. No longer are there worries of time spent alone for the holidays, only happiness and friends. Just what Jack needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, so, thought it is late (8pm where I am), I ended up getting the Christmas chapter up on Christmas, woohoo! I think it's the longest chapter I've done so far. It's pretty darn fluffy, at least compared to some of the early chapter of this story, but I'm happy with that. I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

After a full week of prep for his trip, he'd finally arrived in America. It was the 23th, a few hours before Mark's charity stream. He hadn't actually participated in the stream, as they'd all figured it'd be better for Jack's stay to be kept mostly from social media, so he could just enjoy this week or two in America. People in the chat had been requesting like crazy that they call jack during the stream, and they did, even thought he was in the same building. He didn't stay for much more of the stream and instead spent that time prepping a few last thumbnails and even went to bed a bit early.

He woke up early in correspondence to his early rest. Sitting up, he saw Mark nearby still sleeping. For the duration of the trip, in order to avoid hotel hassle, he was staying with Mark. Turning his focus back to the empty space in front of him, he took this time to think and reflected on how happy he felt, and how lucky he was to have these friends. He was so deep in thought in fact, that he didn't notice that Mark too had awoken until he was torn abruptly  from his thoughts by the characteristic deep voice of his friend. 

"Mornin Jack, you okay?"

"Oh, yea hey, mornin. I was just thinking."

"Mmmk, ya wanna get some breakfast since we're up this early? I'm pretty sure we have pancake mix."

"Uh, sure."

They headed to the kitchen, chatting for awhile before falling into a comfortable silence as Mark began mixing the pancakes, Jack leaning partly against the counter as he scrolled through his social media. He looked up after a minute to find Mark seemingly staring in his general direction, his gaze a tad unfocused. 

"Yeh okay Mark?"

"Sorry, yea, just spacing out."

Mark appeared to fidget nervously before attending to the pancakes as he began to pour them onto the pan. _Is he - no, why would he be blushing? Maybe he's just embarrassed he spaced out that, or yeh're seein' things_. He let it slide, returning to his phone until Mark announced that the pancakes were complete.

 

Later that day, they had all gone out for a bit of Christmas Eve festivities, even going out to eat out for dinner. Finally, they all arrived home, not too late of course, since they had to wake up early for Christmas fun, but just late enough that all of them were quite ready for bed, saying their goodbyes quickly. After the typical routine, pajamas and all, Mark and Jack finally settled in for bed. They lay there quietly for a short while until he decided to break the silence.

"Um, Mark."

"Yea Jack?"

"Thanks, for this."

"Whaddya mean?"

"For letting me come here 'n all, and spend Christmas with you guys, I can't imagine how I'd have spent it alone."

"It's fine man, like I said before, can't leave our lil potater all 'lone. Now c'mon let's get some sleep, gotta be up early for Christmas fun."

"Aight, g'night Mark."

The room fell into a calming quietude as each of them drifted off, happily anticipating the upcoming day.

 

The next morning, Jack didn't awaken early as before, instead, he found himself being gently shaken from his dreams, Mark's voice beckoning him back to reality. The rest of the day went smoothly by, rather quickly in fact. Gifts were exchanged as well as thanks, and a heaping Christmas dinner was shared between the large group of friends. As evening fell upon them, many drinks had been had throughout them, a few of the group being particularly drunk. Everyone was strewn about the house, inside and out. Mark and Jack were sitting outside, enjoying the peaceful albeit cold evening air as they leaned back on the wall. Making idle chatter for a while, they eventually fell into a once more comfortable silence as seemed to happen often these past few days, both of them fairly tired from the eventful day. Jack hadn't realized he was so exhausted until his eyes began to droop, feeling as heavy as lead, taking his head with them in small nods as he attempted to keep himself awake. He didn't keep it up for long, his fatigue soon winning him over as his head fell down, his entire body surrendering as he felt himself tip over, falling slightly into Mark. Too tired to care, he didn't bother moving and heard a light chuckle from his side, a light sensation brushing his forehead. _A kiss?_ He was too sleepy to tell, allowing his body to win as he began to drift, taking in the warmth beside him amidst the chilling evening breeze. 

For the second time that day, he awoke to a gentle shaking, Mark once again urging him to get up. However this time, his body wasn't so willing, eyelids still heavy as he did his best to open them and focus on the faux red-head.

"Jack, ya gotta wake up now."

"Ehhh, wha?"

"C'mon, you fell asleep for a bit  but it's getting really cold out here, you'll catch a cold. Pretty much everyone is gone already."

No matter how he fought against it, his body still refused to give in, it was just so comfortable there. Making a grunt of disapproval, he sat forward a small bit, knowing full well that Mark was right. 

"Don't make me carry you."

"Yea right."

He hadn't expected Mark to go through with his remark, but before he knew it, he was essentially in the air, his knees and head being supported bridal style as Mark picked him up and headed inside. 

"Ah! Maaark, put me down!"

"Nope, too late now. Don't struggle so much or I might drop ya."

Not willing to risk it, all Jack could do was pout sleepily as Mark continued toward the bedroom. _Dammit, why is this making me feel all damn blushy? God don't let Mark see._

Finally, they reached the bedroom, Mark carefully setting him down on his temporary mattress. As his head hit the pillow, he knew he wouldn't be awake much longer. 

"Merry Christmas Jack."

"Merry Christmas Mark."

With that he let his eyes shut, slowly giving in to sleep once more. Again he felt the light sensation on his forehead, this time it was unmistakable. _A kiss._ So sleepy and consumed with joyful thoughts of the day, it seemed so natural. He drifted off, warm and happy, and his dreams may as well have been filled with the sugar plums of Christmas tales.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got a few more things I wanna do with this story, but I don't think it's going to be too much longer. If you guys have any prompts you'd like me to try out for a story after this one finishes, please lemme know. Also, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, start to Hanukkah, or Kwanza (tomorrow I believe), depending on what you celebrate. And if you don't celebrate anything at all, I still hope you had a wonderful day. Have a amazing rest of the day, I'll see you all in the next chapter.


	11. Fear be damned, hold his hand.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A time to relax, a time to spend with friends. A week and a half of it left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, so, I wrote the plan for this one and the next one (new years) at the same time, so the next one should be up soon. This one's pretty simple but I'm happy with it, I hope you guys enjoy it as well.   
> Side note, I looked up Cincinnati weather for this day, it said like 70 F, I think that's nice weather, idk, I've never left SoCal soooo, I dunno, heck people here think 40 is freezing.

Sunlight shone brightly, filling the room with warmth entirely by the time Jack woke up. A glance to his phone proved it to be nearing noon, he'd slept in. Recalling the events of the previous night, he couldn't help but feel his face heat up, thinking back to the bridal carry, the forehead kiss. He shook his head to clear his thoughts, scanning the room to find no Mark in sight. _He must've gotten up already._ Slowly, he made his way to the kitchen, secretly hoping he would find Mark there. Popping his head around the corner, he saw and greeted a seemingly flustered Mark.

"G'mornin' Mark."

"O-oh, hey Jack, good morning."

_He seems.. nervous? I wonder if this is because of last night..._

"Dya want some eggs, I'm already making some so..."

"Um, sure. Sorry I slept in, I guess I was more tired than I thought I was."

"Nah, it's fine. Oh yea, the guys wanted to have lunch later, whaddya say?"

"Sounds fun, any time to spend with all you while I'm here is great."

"You're staying for the week after New Years, right?"

"Yup, 'til the 5th."

He nodded, thanking Mark as he was handed a plate of eggs. Two weeks in America, and one of them was already halfway done. He really did have to make the most of his time here, any and everything they could do while he had time, he'd gladly accept.

 

They finally arrived at the restaurant, chatting the day away with Bob, Wade and Tyler, nothing special really, but time well spent regardless. Jack sat next to Mark, closest to the inside of the booth on their side. _He's so close, am I imagining it?_  It wasn't his imagination, couldn't be. Mark truly was rather close to Jack, but honestly, he didn't really mind it. It was almost comforting in a way, and he let it slip his mind as he fell into lively conversation, so glad to once again be spending time with his friends, after all, he did live all the way in Ireland. 

After a few lighthearted drabbles and countless laughs were shared,  it was time for them all to depart, food finished long ago. Some of them still had family Christmas events to attend, other simply time to spend. Mark and Jack didn't personally have anything urgent to do, deciding to take a walk and enjoy the nice weather, maybe stopping for coffee on the way. As they walked, a cool breeze chilling the air, Jack took this opportunity to take in the Cincinnati scenery. The sun caught the most perfect angles. _Everything looks so vibrant and alive. It's fucking beautiful._ So engrossed in his thoughts, he barely caught himself smiling brightly, chuckling as he did.  

Still amused by his own silliness, he turned to face Mark, who in turn looked away, seeming embarrassed and... _Blushing?  Why would he.. and why was he looking this way? Maybe he wanted to say something?_ Confused and in need of answers for his many questions, he decided to question his blushing friend.

"Are yeh okay Mark?"

"Oh, um yea, I was just gonna say... you um...uh...well..."

"Ah c'mon Mark, spit it out, can't be that bad."

"You look.... cute, is all...y'know happy, like that."

"O-oh."

The remark shocked Jack, confused him. _Cute?_ He felt the heat threaten to flush his cheeks, knowing why but not quite willing to admit to himself just yet. Mark ran his hand through his hair, his expression a sad smile.

"Y-yea sorry, just... I dunno, it's so nice to see it, better than the forced smiles from before, from when you cried... Agh, I probably sound stupid."

"Don't look so sad Mark, I'm so much better now, thanks to being here, thanks to you caring so much. Now c'mon Mark, let's get coffee or something, I neeeed caffeine!"

Flashing his brightest smile effortlessly, he knew what he wanted to do. He dispelled his fears, and reached out, taking hold of Mark's hand and pulling him along, as giddy as a child in a sweet shop. He could hear Mark chuckle in response, allowing Jack to pull him away. _Thanks to you Mark, I can smile like this again._ And his smile did not falter that day, no fear and no tears to keep it from shining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the next chapter should be written and up soon, it's the New Years oneee. I'd do more of the few days in between but I feel like it'd be dragging it out and I already really know what I wanna do for the next one o*o. After that miiight be the chapter where it finally gets to the name of the story, but I'm not sure. Also, like I said before, since this is drawing to a close, if y'all have any suggestion of a next story or oneshot you'd like me to try and write, feel free to put it in the comments. Anyways, I hope you have a wonderful day~


	12. New Years Tradition.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2017 is just about here. The new year means new chances, new beginnings; a chance to make new choices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ
> 
> So, before the rest of this I'd like to note, I love to draw, have an art twitter etc, dA, soooo, I decided for this chapter, I wanted to do art for it. The art at the end of this chapter was DRAWN BY ME, just wanna make sure that's clear, I didn't take it from anywhere or whatevs, tis mine, so if you wanna use it for something else, (idk why you'd wanna) please ask. Also, I suck at side profiles, so it's not my best drawing, but I'm happy with it.
> 
> Heyo, so, it's not New Years yet, but here it is~ I wrote the plans for this one the same time as the last chapter, so yay, close chapters. I'm pretty happy with this chapter for the most part personally I hope you guys enjoy it as well.

The days leading up to the new year fell into a similar pattern, hands held, glances shared, though not a word spoken of them, merely idle chatter and silly jokes as before. However, the lack of it's mention created no tension, perhaps a little awkwardness was felt here and there, but nothing bad. As quickly as before, another half of the week had passed and New Years Eve was upon them.

Evening approached, and the whole group gathered together to celebrate the end of 2016 and wait for midnight. All of them sat around the room, some drunk, many donning party hats or streamers. Bob, Mandy and Tyler sat around the couch, all with at least a little bit of alcohol in their system. Wade and Molly were slightly adjacent. significantly less if any alcohol at all consumed by them. Over to the side of the room sat Jack and Mark, both sober, as Jack wanted to be fair to Mark since he knew he couldn't drink alcohol.. It was getting late, nearing midnight in fact. The evening had been filled with games, both digital and board games alike. But now, things had settled down for the most part, a simple game of Cards Against Humanity being played by those closest to the sofa. 

Jack and Mark chose to stay over to the side, chatting about all the crazy things that had happened in 2016. Mark would occasionally respond to a text during their conversations, but Jack decided not to ask who. _It's probably one of his California friends, or something like that. No point in buggin'_ They shared memories  back and forth, until midnight drew near.

"Hah, everyone but stoney Tyler over there has someone to share New Years with."

"Pfft, technically us too Mark."

"Well.... it, uh doesn't have to be... god, what am I saying, sorry."

He turned away from Jack, leaving him confused and curious, he couldn't just let that slip by.

"Hey, what _were_ you saying Mark?"

"It's stupid, forget I said anything."

"C'mon Mark, please."

Grabbing Mark's shoulder, the faux red-head turned back to face him.

"I-I was saying... we don't have to be alone like Tyler over there, I mean we..."

"IT'S ALMOST MIDNIGHT!"

With Mark cut off by Bob's rather loud announcement, Jack took the time to take in the scene. _We're so close._ A small pause later, Mark continued.

"I mean... New Years kiss is a tradition... god, I sound like an idiot."

"N-no you don't Mark... I get it, I'm pretty sure."

"5. 4. 3. 2. 1. WOOOOOO!!!"

The cheers of the others sounded throughout the room, their excitement uncontained as the clock stroke 12, fireworks booming from nearby residences. Yet between Jack and Mark, time seemed to slow to a crawl, their own little world separate from the rampant excitement the rest of the house seemed to hold, hearts beating fervently. Should I... or... Mark made the decision for him, leaning in slowly as he closed what little distance was left between them. Their lips met, soft and sweet, for a mere moment that felt like it should last forever. They both pulled back, near giggling as they did, blushing like silly crushing schoolgirls.

"That was..."

"Yea..."

That was amazing... A text notification pulled them both from their thoughts, Mark responding quickly before looking back up.

"C'mon let's go over with those dorks."

"Yea. W-who was that? Just wondering..."

"Just Amy."

He held his phone up to Jack. Looking it over carefully, it took him by slight surprise. 

Amy: I wish I was kissing you at midnight

Markimoo: I can't say the same.

Amy: Oh Mark, sweetie.

Markimoo: Someone else already has my New Years kiss Amy, so give up.

Amy: It's not even midnight yet...

Amy: You don't really have anyone else Mark.

Mark: Yes, I do.

_That was the last message._ He felt the heat rising in his cheeks once more, unable to keep himself from smiling. Looking up to Mark again, he found him fidgeting nervously, hand held to the back of his neck, working at tense muscles

"Mark?"

"Huh?"

Tilting his head to the side, he planted a soft kiss to Mark's cheek. To see Mark's reaction, a mix of shock and adoration, was the only incentive he'd ever need. Once again taking hold of Mark's hand, he stood and pulled the other up with him. 

"Let's go over there silly, y'know, like you said?"

Both smiling brightly, hands held loosely together, they made their way to the others and joined the festivities. They both knew in this moment. _This was the perfect start to the New Year._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there aren't too many chapter of this left, heck, there may even be only one left. In one of the following chapters, whether it be the next or not, you get to see the title actually in the chapter, crazy right? I've legit had the (baseee) idea since like Ch2 or 3.  
> Also, as I've been saying in the past chapters, if y'all have any story or one shot prompt thingies you want me to try and write, please leave em in the comments.  
> One last thing, this story has legit gotten a butt ton of hits and kudos, more than I ever imagined possible. Yea the numbers themselves are cool, but what matters more is the fact that so many people have chosen to read this, and liked it! So thank you all so much for reading, any and all of you. Anyways, as per usual, I hope you have an amazing day, and I'll see you all in the next chapter.


	13. With Hair of Fire, He Rescued Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final week and fare wells.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm so so so sorry it took me so long to get this out, heck it's 11 pm where I am. It just took me forever to fully focus enough to write this. It would've been out earlier today but I had a few issues with parents and whatever, it doesn't matter now. Anyways, this chapter is kinda cheesy, but I'm happy with it. It's also a bit dialogue heavy, but I felt that was best. I hope you enjoy, I'll explain at the end of the chapter about this ending(ish).

The next morning dawned, the first day of 2017. Sitting up, Jack once again found Mark missing. He headed to the kitchen, and as before Mark was there. _He looks nervous. Is he regretting last night?_  Quickly pushing away his doubts, he decided to confront the worried man before him. 

"What's up Mark?"

"O-oh, uh, well, um... I wanted to ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"I know it's really sudden, but... well... I wondering if maybe... Fuck it, would you like to go out?"

"S-sure, definitely."

"Thank GOD, sorry, I was so fucking nervous."

"Heh, yeh doof."

The heat began to rise in Jack's cheeks once again. _Jesus, it's like being in secondary school. Wait, shite balls. I only have a week left._

"Oh, um Mark? I-i leave at the end of the week."

"Well, I'll just sweep you away."

Without warning, he felt an arm behind his knee and before he knew it, he was, quite literally, swept off his feet as Mark picked him up bridal style, carrying him over towards the couch.

"Maaaark! I'm not a damsel!"

"What about a prince? I'm saving you from a tower. Let down your green hair Jackpunzel."

"But I've already been saved Markkk."

"Oh really, how?"

Mark set him down on the couch, sitting beside him and crossing his arms expectantly. Taking a deep breath in, he paused to consider how to word it. _Fuck it, let's continue the fairytale theme._

"Well...uhhhh. There was this GIANT feckin' dragon that showed up, and uh, the kingdom was fallin' apart. Then this knight appeared, and."

"What was this "brave knight" like?"

"He wasn't a knight in shining armor, that's overrated, his armor was flannel. And he had a bright red floof of hair."

Hands on his hips in a dramatic pose, he paused, trying to come up with a cheesy way to complete his story. 

"With hair of fire, he rescued me! And now the kingdom is back on its feet."

"Heh, well, this knight is staying. The hair? Maybe not."

"Really?"

"Yea, I've been thinking about doing it back to black."

"I think it'd be nice, if that's what yeh wanna do."

He ran his hand loosely through Mark's hair as realization set in. _I won't be able to do this in a week... I'll be back in Ireland, thousands of miles away._ His demeanor fell, he couldn't help it. _With so long a di_ s _tance and time difference.. would we go back to how it was in September?_ The thoughts were more apparent on his face than he knew, his eyes falling downwards, clearly betraying his emotions to Mark.

"Hey Jack, don't look so sad. I'll keep my promise this time. It'll be okay, I'll make time."

Reluctantly, he looked up into Mark's eyes, knowing full well tears glistened in his eyes, threatening to fall. One rebelled, the small drop making it's way down his cheek. 

"Don't cry."

Mark reached up, cupping his cheek to brush away the rogue tear, gently kissing the path it had taken. Strong arms pulled him into a hug, reminiscent of that night in Brighton, filled with the same warmth and comfort, if not more. 

"Now I can finally comfort you with more than an awkward hug."

"Heh, yeh doof.... Hugs are still nice though."

He leaned into the hug, resting his head on Mark's shoulder. Simply enjoying that feeling for what it was, fighting off those remaining tears his eyes clung to. 

"Yea, they are."

 

The following days passed sweetly, pizza, days lazing around on the couch, walks in the chilling winter breeze. Mark had even gone through with his claim and dyed his hair back to it's natural color. The day had finally arrived, the 5th, Jack's flight. Donning hats to avoid being seen, they made their way to the airport, Mark waiting with Jack until the time drew near. They stood, hand in hand, and turned to one another to say their goodbyes. _I wish I could stay here just a little longer._

"I'll miss yeh."

"I'll miss you too, when you're over in Potatoland."

"Potatoist."

"Don't worry, we'll skype and game and text. Can't leave the lil potato all alone. I promise."

Closing the distance between them, Jack pulled himself into Mark, hugging him with all his might. He leaned back, still held in Mark's arms, but far enough to place a small kiss upon his lips. 

"That's the last time I'll be able to do that for a while..."

"We'll get you back in good ol' Murica soon enough, even if I have to go to Ireland myself to get ya."

"Mhm, I'll hold yeh to it.... I guess, this is g'bye for now Mark."

"In person. Message me when you get back, kay?"

"Will do."

Mark leaned in, placing a final farewell kiss before they stepped back, Jack heading to his flight. As promised, the first thing he did when he reached home was message Mark. The promise was kept. _This is going to be a good year._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, this, is TECHNICALLY over, but not quite. So, I really have grown to love this particular story, and I don't want to drag it out, but I would like to do more chapters in this 'universe' thing place, idk what to call it. Nothing particularly angsty, well maybe, if I can resolve it in one chapter. Like I'd like to do more stuff with this, like a real date, Sean going back to America, them skyping or gaming, heck maybe a proposal sometime. So, I may put this into a series type thing, under this same name, and do one shots and stuff. (mayyyybe another full story but only if I can work out the idea right.)   
> If you have any ideas, feel free to comment. Any of you who are sad to see this end, well, fear no more, cos I do want to hopefully put out more in this same timeline.   
> If you have anything you wanna ask, any ideas or such, feel free to either comment here or you can find at @Chuiicha on Twitter, but I highly doubt anyone will do that.   
> But yea, this story is technically over, but not quite if you guys would like to see some more in the timeline, even I feel like there's more that needs to be added past the airport. Someone asked about the Mark/Amy argument, maybe I could do something explaining that further if you'd like?
> 
> Anyways, sorry that was rambly. Have a fantastical day and week and I hope your new year is going great so far.


End file.
